Foldable bed



M. B. SCOTT FOLDABLE BED Filed Aug. 1, 1946 Patented Dec. 19, 1950 .UNITED sTATEs eaTsNT OFFICE FOLDABLE BED Marie B. Scott, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Grace Lee Scott, St. Louis, Mo.

Application August 1, 1946, Serial No. 687,582

3 Claims.

This invention relates to beds and with regard to certain more specific features, to a folding bed construction adapted to be used for infants beds, camp beds, and the like, and is an improvement upon the bed disclosed in my U. S. Patent No. 1,724,852, issued August 13, 1929.

Among the several objects of the invention, may be noted the provision of a folding or collapsible bed of the type shown in said patent having an improved latching arrangement for the legs and frame thereof; and the provision in a bed of this class of means whereby the struts which hold the legs and frame of the bed in open position operate in unison so as to simplify the opening and closing operations. Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the bed in opened position;

. Fig. 2 is a section taken on line Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

and,

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, there is illustrated a portion of a bed having side rails I which, by means of hinges 3, are hinged at each end to an end rail 5. Only approximately half of the bed is illustrated in Fig. 1. It will be understood that the other half of the bed is, so far as concerns the invention, the same as that shown. This will also be clear from my aforesaid prior patent. Each end rail 5 is made in two sections 1 hinged at hinge 9 tobreak inward. Vfhen opened, the side rails and end rails form a rectangular frame adapted to support a sheet of canvas, bed springs, or the like.

' The side rails I carry guide plates I3 adjacent each corner of the frame. Eachof these plates has a horizontal slot l5 and a notch i! extending from the slot for receiving bearing pins to be described.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a guide plate.

One link 2| is end-pivoted, as indicated at 23, to each section l of the end rail 5. A link 25 is pivoted at one end, as indicated at 21, to each leg 29 of the bed. Each leg 29 is hinged at 3| tothe side rail I at the corner of the frame. A third link 33 is pivoted at 35 to each canopy post 3! of the bed. Each post 37 is hinged at 39 to the side rail I at the corner of the frame. Each leg 29 and each post 31 swings nearly in the same plane at right angles to the plane of the frame, and each section 1 of the end rail swings in a plane at right angles to the plane of action of the post and leg.

The construction so far described is the same as that disclosed in my prior patent. The improvement of this invention resides in a novel means for latching the frame (consisting of the side rails i and end rails 5), and the legs 29 in the opened position illustrated in Fig. 1.

This novel latching means includes a bearing pin iii slidable in the slot I5 and in the notch ii in each guide plate is. This pin is fixed at one end in the vertical leg 43 of an angle bracket or slider 45. This bracket is disposed on the inside of the guide plate, and the pin extends through the slot in the plate to the outside. Each of the links 2i is pivoted by means of a stud 4? to the horizontal leg 49 of the angle bracket 45. Each of links 25 is pivotally connected to the bearing pin M on the outside of plate I3, as indicated at 5|. The lower end of the link 33 carries a bearing pin 53 slidable in the slot I5 in guide plate I3.

Fig, 1 illustrates the bed in opened position. In this position, the legs 29 extend vertically downward from the frame, and the posts 31 extend vertically upward. The pins it have been retracted to the ends of slots i5 and moved down-- ward into notches ii to the lower ends of the notches. This latches the end rail sections 1 in alignment at right angles to the side rails and also latches the legs 29 in opened, vertical position. The bearing pins '53 at the end of the links 33 are also retracted to the ends of slot I5 and are disposed in the notches i'l above the pins iI.

To close the bed, it is only necessary to retract 1 the pins 53 and i! from the notches ii and to toward the side rails I. In either case, the pins 4| move in slots IE to collapse both the frame, consisting of side and end rails l and 5 and the legs 29 due to the linkage between each leg 29 and the adjacent end rail section I provided by strut 25, pin 4! and link 2|. This operation also pulls down the posts 31 since pins AI, in moving toward the center of the bed, rake the pins 53 ahead of them.

To open the bed from its folded position, posts 31 may be pulled away from their collapsed positions adjacent the side rails. This moves pins 53 toward the ends of the frame, consisting of side and end rails I and 5, and these pins force pins 4| ahead of them to cause the end rail sections I and legs 29 to open. If it is desired to open the bed without raising posts 31, this may be accomplished either by pulling a leg 29 at each end of the bed open, or by pulling the end rail sections '1 open.

The advantage of the improved latching means of this invention over that shown in my prior patent is that the legs 29 and end rail sections '1 are mechanically linked for simultaneous operation in unison. In the construction of the prior patent, it is possible to open up the legs 29 without opening up the end rail sections i since there is no linkage between these elements. Conversely, it is possible in the prior patented bed to close the end rail sections l without closing the legs 22. Opening and closing of the bed of this invention is simplified, since the frame, consisting of side and end rails l and 5 and legs 29 may be opened and closed by manipulating either the end rail sections 1' or legs 29 indiscriminately, and no serious question as to what elements of the bed to manipulate to open or close it is presented to the user.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A bed comprising a collapsible frame including side rails and end rails hinged to the side rails, each end rail comprising two inwardly collapsible hinged sections, a l g hinged for movement at each corner of the frame in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the frame, and a latch at each corner of the frame for latching the frame and legs in opened position, each latch comprising means providing a notched guide slot adjacent the corner of the frame, a pair of links, one of which is pivoted at one end to the end rail section and the other of which is pivoted at one end to the leg meeting at said corner, a pin slideable in said slot, a bracket attached to one end of the pin, said one link being pivoted at its other end to said bracket, said other link being pivotally connected to the other end of the pin.

2. A bed comprising a horizontal collapsible frame including side rails and end rails hinged to the side rails, each end rail comprising two inwardly collapsible hinged sections, a leg hinged for vertical movement at each corner of the frame, and a latch at each corner of the frame for latching the frame and legs in opened position, each latch comprising means providing a notched guide slot adjacent the corner of the frame, a pair of links, one of which is pivoted at one end to the end rail section and the other of which is pivoted at one end to the leg meeting at said corner, a pin slideable in said slot, an angle bracket having a vertical leg attached to the end of the pin inside the frame and an inwardly extending horizontal leg, said one link being pivoted at its other end to said horizontal leg, said other link being pivotally connected to the other end of the pin outside the frame.

3. In a double hinged corner construction for beds and the like comprising a side rail incorporating a member having a notched slot, an end rail pivoted to the side rail for motion in one plane and a leg pivoted to the side rail near the pivot point of the end rail for motion in a plane r at right angles to the motion of the end rail, links respectively pivoted to said end rail and the leg, and a single rigid slider movable in said notched slot, the link which is pivoted to the end rail being pivoted to said slider by a pivot having an axis at right angles to the pivot plane of the end rail, the link which is pivoted to the leg being pivoted to the slider by a pivot having an axis at right angles to the pivot plane of the leg and parallel to the pivot plane of the end rail.

MARIE B. SCO'I'I.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 641,274 Cramer Jan. 16, 1900 938,315 Gundelach -Oct, 26, 1909 1,119,835 Kreuzkamp Dec. 8, 1914 1,724,852 Scott Aug. 13, 1929 

